"Bastard, how did you fight? Yes? Four or five thousand people were actually broken by five thousand Zhao troops? If you defend the city, will you not even be able to defend the city? In the Liangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, Lin Shucheng scolded several generals who were kneeling on the ground with a blue face.

"The Governor of the Metropolis, it is not unfavorable to defend the city under the time mark, but when the Zhao army attacked the city, the soldiers under his command immediately dispersed in a hurry, and I can't hold it down when I wait for the bullet." One explained bitterly.

"Damn! In just over ten days, we have lost eight cities in the east and north in a row, which is simply a shame. You are defending against the Zhao army here, and it can be called a battle and a rout. The more Lin Shucheng spoke, the more angry he became. Although he Lin Shucheng is extraordinary, but when the two armies are fighting and the disparity in strength is huge, he is also unable to use his strength. Especially Zhao Jun's multi-way outing, he was a little unable to take care of the whole picture.

The most important thing is that the strength of the Liangzhou army cannot be compared with the Zhao army at all. Even, they are far worse than the regular soldiers of the Yong army. Fighting head-on, they are no match for each other at all.

"The Metropolitan Governor, the new arrivals in the army have not yet been able to fully control the whole army, and the soldiers have no will to fight, so what can I do! Moreover, the cold winter has arrived, and the soldiers' winter clothes are still insufficient, and the things for heating are far behind. The soldiers have complained in private, and they are worried that if they continue like this, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

As soon as he said this, Lin Shucheng frowned, Liangzhou was barren, he already knew it. But what he didn't expect was that the situation was more serious than expected. This Liangzhou has never been valued by Situ Lei, and the Liangzhou army has also been transferred by Situ Lei many times, resulting in a sparse place in Liangzhou, and the people are poor. In the absence of backup, Liangzhou alone is indeed unable to cope with the pressure of the outside world.

"Stand down, put your command in order, the Governor of Pontus doesn't want this to happen again next time."

"Wait!" Just as Lin Shucheng asked the generals to retreat, one of them suddenly spoke.

"Wang Sima, I don't know what is the matter with you?" Lin Shucheng saw that the person who opened his mouth was Zuo Sima Wang Hewen, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Wang Hewen said lightly: "Governor Dadu, these few people were all defeated by the hands of the Zhao army, and they also lost the city. Is this the case with such a crime? Such an unfair act of reward and punishment is only afraid that it will be difficult to convince the Liangzhou army. ”

"Yes, Metropolitan Governor, these people are all guilty of losing the city and being defeated in battle, and they must not be punished, otherwise, there will inevitably be a suspicion of unfair rewards and punishments." Changshi Tianyu, Right Sima and others all said in unison.

"You ......" Lin Shucheng's face suddenly became gloomy, and then he said coldly: "Unfair rewards and punishments? Didn't the governor of Pontus let them make meritorious deeds? The Liangzhou army does not have many good generals, and it is punishing it, which will definitely weaken the strength of our Liangzhou army. Moreover, if they are punished, it will be difficult for their subordinates to be determined. ”

"Metropolitan Governor, when you replaced more than 30 generals such as the Right Guard General and the Front General, you didn't say that. When it comes to understanding the soldiers, how many of them can compare to General Liu and others? General Liu and others were still transferred by the governor of Dadu because of the unfavorable battle, not to mention them? ”

"Governor Dadu, I think that if we want the Liangzhou army to stop fighting with the Zhao army again and losing a thousand miles, we should let the original generals lead the army to fight. In that way, the soldiers know the generals, the generals know the soldiers, unlike now, the main general can't even control the soldiers under his command. ”

Wang Hewen and others bluntly forced Lin Shucheng to the palace, although Lin Shucheng also had cronies to defend him, but Wang Hewen had sufficient reasons this time. And there are not a few people from the original Liangzhou army who were suppressed by Lin Shucheng, and when they saw this opportunity, they immediately began to fight back.

Lin Shucheng's face was extremely gloomy, but this time he was caught by the other party, and he couldn't refuse strongly, and besides, the former Metropolitan Governor Situ Fei was also by his side.

"Second son, what do you think of it?" Lin Shucheng turned to Situ Fei beside him and asked. He knew that the person beside him had always been unwilling to be taken the position of Metropolitan Governor by himself. I also know that everyone in the hall has a lot of relationships with each other. suppressed the original Liangzhou army by himself, if the other party has not reacted, it will be a strange thing.

Situ Fei smiled indifferently and said, "The person who is idle now is not an official in the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, and he came here just to understand the situation on the front line. When it comes to handling military and political affairs, you will naturally be in charge of the metropolitan governors. ”

"However, I do think that it is better to punish them at this moment than to let them be guilty of meritorious service, after all, our army is also in urgent need of manpower now. But when it comes to understanding the officers and soldiers of the army, it is better to have a few generals at the beginning. After all, they have a higher prestige than a few of them in the Liangzhou army. It is more suitable to lead the army in battle than them, and most of the governors think it? ”

Lin Shucheng's eyes twitched slightly, his face remained unchanged, he stared at Situ Fei tightly, and after a while, he said coldly: "Since you all say so, then do so." The order was sent to Li Wenyun and eight others, so that they could immediately return to the old department and resist the Zhao army in Wuwei in the north and Jincheng and Didao in the east. ”

"Winter is coming, our army is in trouble, so why not Zhao Jun? As long as we defend step by step, we will be able to resist the Zhao army outside the city. Zhao has a large number of soldiers, but they also need a lot of food, grass and winter clothes, and the materials consumed are several times that of ours. Transporting supplies in winter, especially in snowy weather, is not an easy task. ”

"Now that the overall situation in the south has been decided, our army has defeated the Qi army in the south. As long as we can persist in holding back the continued invasion of the Zhao army, in the spring of the following year, when the southern army returns to the division, we will definitely be able to expel the Zhao army. ”

"Governor, this group of villains is clearly forcing the palace, why do you want to agree to them?" In the inner hall, Lin Shucheng and several of his cronies gathered here with solemn faces.

Lin Shucheng said in a deep voice: "What if you don't agree?" The situation is out of our control. Besides, the army was defeated, and it was as it should be punished. ”

"But ......" Li Xuyi, who came to Liangzhou with Lin Shucheng, said with a wry smile, "Governor Dadu, we finally came here to find some excuses to place a dozen of our people in the armies of various places. But this time, we've lost most of it. It can be said that overnight, the credit that we have worked hard for more than two months will be lost in one day. ”

"Yes, Metropolitan Governor, Master Li is right. Now, the Liangzhou Army has been taken over by them again. The prince let us control Liangzhou here, and it will be difficult to complete it if it goes on like this. Others said the same.

Lin Shucheng sneered: "Control Liangzhou? Do you think we took control of Liangzhou before today? I only now realize that these two sons are not as cooperative as we imagined. What is the basis for so many people to speak out against it this time? Isn't it because the second son is standing behind them? ”

"However, today's events also let us see that Liangzhou is not under our control at all. Do you think it's okay if I don't say yes? Didn't you hear them say that those Liangzhou military generals and colonels who were replaced by us have prestige in the army. They are hinting to us that if we continue to use our people, these soldiers will not buy it. ”

Li Xuyi's face sank, and he said with some disbelief: "No, judging from the current situation, we replaced his manpower and suppressed their former Liangzhou officials, just to let us control the power of Liangzhou." However, if you can't resist the Zhao army's attack, it will be a major matter related to the entire Yong army. They won't be able to tell the difference between big and small! ”

Lin Shucheng frowned, and said slowly: "I don't know much about what the second son wants to do. Let's talk about returning to power, when the Zhao army is coming, it is not a good opportunity. Moreover, I came here to sit in Liangzhou, it was a military order of the prince, and he should not be so bold and reckless. ”

Li Xuyi said in a deep voice: "Metropolitan Governor, could it be that the matter over there in Chengdu Mansion has made the second prince anxious and wants to add weight to himself?" ”

"No, although the prince did not say who would inherit his great cause, but at this moment, he did not obey the military order and acted recklessly, and he would definitely not add too much strength to his ascendancy. Again...... No matter what aspect the second son is, the probability of inheriting the great cause is not high. Someone immediately retorted.

Regarding the matter of inheriting the throne, Lin Shucheng knows best. He came this time to eliminate Situ Fei's influence here, so as to avoid internal fighting among the Yongjun army in the future. In other words, Situ Fei is no longer qualified to inherit the great cause.

Didn't you say that after the one from Luoyang left Yongzhou, he would order Situ Fei to leave Liangzhou as well? Why hasn't the military order arrived yet? Could it be that the prince has changed his mind? Lin Shucheng was also uncertain in his heart. If it is just Situ Fei, it is the problem of Liangzhou, Situ Fei arrives here and takes over Liangzhou, he will let Situ Fei immediately return to Chengdu Mansion. But in the eastern part of Liangzhou, there is also a very difficult eldest son. Therefore, in order not to have an accident, he can only wait for news from Yongzhou here.

"Okay, no matter what, the top priority now is to block Zhao Jun. We have a serious problem here, you all know the bottom of Liangzhou, now that the cold winter has arrived, and snow has even begun to fall in the east. As Wang Hewen said earlier, the soldiers are afraid that they have no intention of fighting. There is a big shortage of winter clothes needed by our army, but as far as we know, the materials of the Zhao army have been hoarded early in the places where Bingzhou, Xiazhou and Liangzhou meet. The other party was well prepared before the action. And we ......" Lin Shucheng suppressed the troubles in his heart about today's events and said in a loud voice.

"The Metropolitan Governor, it's not that his subordinates say much, judging from the current situation, the possibility that Liangzhou can hold on...... It's not big! ”

Lin Shucheng's face froze, and he said, "No matter how big or small, we have to stick to it." Don't forget, you and I are both officials of Liangzhou, if Liangzhou is lost in the hands of you and me, no one will be able to get good. If you think that your neck is harder than others, then ignore the safety of Liangzhou. ”

Lin Shucheng naturally knew that what Situ Lei hoped was for the Liangzhou Army to keep the southeastern prefectures and counties as much as possible, so that Hanzhong and Chang'an would have a safe outer protective net.

If it weren't for the prince's poor health, how could he have the current situation? I don't know if the Yongjun can develop steadily under the leadership of the new king...... Lin Shucheng was secretly worried about Yongjun's current situation.

In Situ Fei's mansion, there is also a group of people, in addition to Wang Hewen and other Situ Lei's cronies, there is also a special person, that is, Nangong Hao, the commander of the first town army of the Zhao army attacking from north to south.

"Congratulations to the second son, regaining the advantage again. Second son, in the future, the princes of the world will definitely have a place for you. Nangong Hao said with a laugh.

Situ Fei's face was calm, and he said lightly: "Nangong Hao, several cities on the front line have been occupied by you, so what about the conditions we said in advance?" When are you going to make a promise? ”

Nangong Hao said with a smile: "It's okay at any time, isn't it just winter clothes, our army has prepared a surplus." In this battle, the second prince has conceded eight cities, and we will pay the corresponding food and winter clothes. ”

Wang Hewen said: "By the way, in this battle, because we want to give up these places, therefore, we still have many soldiers who have been captured by you, and these prisoners are ......."

Nangong Hao said with a smile: "We will let them return, the reason is that in the cold winter, our army cannot support too many prisoners." But it was too cruel to kill, so he put it back. Of course, this is also to give you an explanation for the governor of Liangzhou. ”

"By the way, there are two ways to trade now, either you send someone to rob the grain. Or, through the merchants, we will transport the grain to Saihae Province and hand it over to you, how are you going to receive these things? ”

Wang Hewen said: "Robbery of grain? If the governor of Liangzhou is not Lin Shucheng, this is a very good way. However, Lin Shucheng's intelligence will definitely be able to see the problem from it. We've just been defeated, and it would be strange if we could get food and grass from you. ”

Tian Yu shook his head and said: "Another way is not advisable, their Zhao army will transport the materials to Xihai Mansion, which is the northwesternmost place under the control of our army. This is not in line with our original plan, and what we need is in the east, not in the north. ”

Situ Fei also understood at the moment, the joy on his face suddenly dissipated, and he said coldly: "What? Don't you Zhao Jun want to act according to the agreement? Wang Hewen immediately sent someone to contact the Metropolitan Governor to ...... the matter."

Nangong Hao said repeatedly: "Wait! Doesn't the second son know that if he acts like this, he will also implicate himself? Even if the matter is revealed, my Zhao army will still attack Liangzhou, but you can ...... second son."

Situ Fei sneered: "Yes, if the news here reaches the ears of the Grand Duke, then it will soon reach the ears of my father." At that time, will you, King Zhao, still be able to calmly let your army move west? Now that your army is pressing the border, it may not be the alliance of the southern princes to counterattack in the future. Especially since you have begun to infiltrate the various princes, it will be difficult for them to remain indifferent. ”

Nangong Hao was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but take a closer look at the second son in front of him, and found that he was more powerful than he imagined. However, Nangong Hao didn't have much hope for this matter, and his original intention was just to make trouble for Situ Fei. Now seeing that the other party saw the problem, he smiled and said: "The reason why this is the case is because the materials we transported to the western part of Liangzhou happened to pass through there, and it was more convenient to dispatch." Since you don't want to, let's go somewhere else. Where's where you say, we'll be shipped there by merchants. Of course, it will definitely not be a big rear. ”

Seeing Nangong Hao's answer, Situ Fei also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he shouted well, it didn't mean that he was really willing to do that. There is no one who doesn't like power......

Wang Hewen spread out the map, looked at it on the map, and finally pointed to a big city between Anding Mansion and Tianshui, and said, "Qinzhou City, this is it." You get here, and we have someone to pick you up. ”

"Oh well! I wish the second prince to obtain all the real power as soon as possible and withdraw south. By the way, tell the second son that your eldest brother, the governor of Yongzhou, is also like you. The location he chose was the eastern part of Yongzhou. The second son, you can only choose Chang'an and Hanzhong. These two places, with dangers on all sides, are good places to start a business. ”

"Time is running out, the second son must act early, once there is a change, it will be ...... By the way, second son, Lin Shucheng, the governor of Liangzhou, is not an ordinary person, if he doesn't want to find out anything, he should deal with him first. ”

Situ Fei said: "I don't bother you about this matter. You just need to give us what we agreed upon, and as for how this son does it, it's our own business. ”

Seeing that he couldn't let Situ Fei do anything to Lin Shucheng, and even Situ Fei still had the heart to contain Lin Shucheng, Nangong Hao couldn't help but sigh secretly, this Lin Shucheng is indeed talented, if he can, of course he hopes that this Lin Shucheng will die here and get rid of a big enemy for himself.

"By the way, one last word, the end of the year is approaching, and after one or two more siege battles, our army will stop operating this year. If you want to stabilize your current power this time, these offensive and defensive battles, rectify their morale. Also, start preparing to transfer your men away. Otherwise, in the spring of the next year, my Zhao army will definitely be a thunderous blow. At the end, Nangong Hao explained in a deep voice.

After Nangong Hao left, Situ Fei and the others sat silently. From now on, they have walked out of the path they should not take, and no one can guarantee what the outcome will be.

Father, don't blame me, you can only blame you for being too partial. If it's the eldest brother on top, I have nothing to say. But what is the old five? Why did I sit in the most barren Liangzhou in the first place, but they sat in the prosperous land one by one? Situ Fei's heart went up and down, and his face was also uncertain.

"Second son?"

"What?" Situ Fei came to his senses at the moment.

"Second son, since things have come to this point, there is no turning back. No matter what you think in your heart, it's too late to regret it. As Nangong Hao of the Zhao army said, the princes of the world, the second son will definitely have a place for you. Wang Hewen saw that Situ Fei's face was a little ugly, and persuaded him repeatedly.

Situ Fei took a deep breath and said with a smile: "I'm fine!" Let's all go down and do what we planned. I also want to see which of them is better than me! I will prove myself with facts that I am no worse than them! ”

"What about Lin Shucheng, the Metropolitan Governor? Isn't it ......?" said in a cold voice as one person made a slashing motion.

Situ Fei shook his head and said, "No, this person is quite intelligent, if he can be used by us, it will naturally be the best." ”

"The second son wants to recover him? I'm afraid it's hard! ”

"It's a matter of people, and it's another matter if it doesn't work!"